Monthly Archives: August 2008

Speaking for the voiceless and the majority Kenyans, we seek to know, does Uhuru still have a job in Public Service Office?

If yes, can he explain in clear verbatim for Kenyans to understand why he did this? Will the salary and benefits earned by these Councillors be refunded or returned? How much in total did these Councillors earn from Public Tax Money?

In other words, did Uhuru knowingly planned to gain swindled/conned the Kenyan Republic for his pandora and vendetta?

Is this act an action of corruption or misuse of Public Office and misappropriation of the same?

Can the Parliament put Uhuru to task so the public know?

Judy Miriga
USA

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Kenya: 57 Councillors In Uhuru List Lose Jobs

The Nation (Nairobi)
6 August 2008
Posted to the web 6 August 2008
Kenneth Ogosia

Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi has revoked the nomination of 57 councillors and appointed 64 others whose names were struck out by his predecessor, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta. Mr Mudavadi, who is also the Local Government minister, appointed another 67 public officers and sacked 41 who had been appointed by Mr Kenyatta.

However, Adopt-A-Light Chief Executive Officer Esther Passaris, whose nomination by ODM was revoked by Mr Kenyatta, was also left out by Mr Mudavadi for the second time.

By-election

Still, the minister still insisted that Mr Kenyatta had erred in refusing to gazette her name.
“As you are aware, Ms Passaris had upgraded her interest and vied to become the MP for Embakasi in the by-election. She wrote to ODM on the withdrawal of her interest and I maintain that during Mr Kenyatta’s time a wrong was committed,” Mr Mudavadi said at a press conference in his Nairobi office on Tuesday.
However, his move could pose legal challenges for the Government because the courts have in the past declared previous revocations of councillors as illegal.
In one case, former Mombasa mayor Taib Ali Taib won a victory over the then Local Government minister, Mr Musikari Kombo, who had revoked Mr Taib’s nomination as a councillor.

The court ruled in Mr Taib’s favour.

In another case, former nominated councillor Otieno Karan also won after he challenged a decision to revoke his nomination.
The courts at the time ordered that councillors whose names had been revoked could resume their jobs.
On Tuesday, it emerged that those whose nominations were disputed but are now mayors and council chairpersons were spared the axe.
“It is not prudent to destabilise the councils by revoking the nomination of the affected councillors,” Mr Mudavadi said. Among those who benefited from this directive was Mombasa mayor Ahmed Modhar.
In such cases, the parties the councillors represented had to validate their nominations afresh. ODM reconsidered its position and endorsed Mr Modhar.
Notable names in the list of councillors who have lost their jobs include Hanningtone Wandera Awori, brother to former vice-president Moody Awori; and Hamisi Shamba, a former Harambee Stars footballer who was nominated as a councillor in Kisumu.
The controversial nominations sparked an uproar in Parliament earlier in the year and Mr Mudavadi then promised to degazette the excess councillors in two weeks.
However, he failed to fulfil the promise due to what sources at the ministry said was interference by political parties and MPs whose candidates benefited.
Mr Kenyatta nominated over 200 councillors, overlooking the one third rule which states that a minister should nominate a third of the councillors elected in every civic authority.
He later appointed over 100 public officers in the 175 councils. Of these, 41 were sacked by Mr Mudavadi.
The Local Government minister said his ministry had ensured that the nominations were regularised through the validation of the appointing political parties.
“For example the mayor of Mombasa has been validated through the Orange Democratic Movement which was the appointing political party,” he said in a statement.
He said he had invoked sections 26(2) and 28(2A) to effect the changes.
He also revealed that the ministry was in the process of amending the Local Government Act to ensure that there are no loopholes in the procedures for nomination of councillors.
Three civic leaders from the Nairobi City Council and three others from Nakuru County Council were among those who lost out.
However, PNU candidates who protested the removal of their names by Mr Kenyatta and went to court were re-appointed.

Nominations revoked

The Nairobi councillors whose nominations were revoked were Lee Muchiri, Badi Ali and Dishon Njoka Nyagah. Those removed from Nakuru were Jane Simita Munga, Simon Mararia Gathura and Daniel Wamwere Githinji.
Those who were re-appointed are Ms Rachel Wanjiku Kamweru, Wilfred Mangara Apencha and Jacob Haji Ali.
Two other councillors were nominated by ODM. They are Rose Adhiambo Ogona and Josephat J. Bukachi.
Eleven of the affected councillors were from Nyanza and Western provinces. Among the councils affected are Vihiga, Funyula, Migori, Gusii, Kisii, Ogembo, Keroka, Masimba and Nyamira.

Following the meeting the Kenyan government gave the RVR a three months ultimatum to streamline its operations, and to raise USD 40 million new investment capital base to enable it to rehabilitate and improve its services to the public.

RVR was given up to October 31 to ensure service delivery normalised or the government takes over the railways operations.

Addressing the press after the meeting, Raila Odinga said Kenya has lost its patience
With the RVR. â€The government of Kenya and that of Uganda have decided to give the RVR management three months to do whatever they can to restore services,â€he added.

The PM said a clause that gave one of the share holders a 35 per cent majority-share had been revoked to enable other shareholders the room to inject more funds into the3 corporation..

Mr. Odinga disclosed that other shareholders had made commitment to inject about KSHS 260 million to ensure normalicy.

The PM said the RVR had attributed their inefficiency to lack of sufficient funds. They have explained that some financial pledges made to the by some investors who late let them down was their undoing..

Mr. Odinga was accompanied by the minister for Transport Ali Chirau Makwere and the finance Assistant minister Dr. Oburu Odinga and other senior government officials.

He said those issues and the future states of the RVR was discussed, and that Kenya and Uganda governments had agreed to conduct feasibility study for another railway line soon.

THE Nairobi meeting chaired by Mr. Odinga was attended by top government officialks from both Kenya and Uganda along with shareholders of the RVR, the consortium contracted to run the 900 km Mombasa Kampala railway line.

Also in attendance were representatives of the International Finance Corporation, a lending wing of the World Bank and the German Development Bank,kfw, came just two days after the Managing Director of the RVR Roy Puffet had resigned in huff under pressure from the two governments.

In parliament the Prime Minister Mr. Odinga had to come to the rescue of his besieged colleague, the Transport minister Makwere from the barrage of questions and scathing criticism. He told the House that the government acknowledged the concern of Kenyans over the lackluster performance of the RVR , and this was the reasons why he had called the meeting to audit its performance.

The youthful Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba, a lawyer by profession kicked off the debate on the performance and status of the railways when he tabled documents, which he claimed, showed that RVR was a phony company set up to defraud Kenyan taxpayers.

The M{P told the hussed house that the company had even failed to pay its lawyers in a matter before a British court in the UK. This, he added, has proved that the company was not financially sound and had no capacity to improve the railway system in Kenya. It is even worse than the infamous Goldenberg Scandal.â€

â€œThe government, he said, has thrown away a precious state asset to a phony company,â€ he charged amid prolonged applause from the back-benchers.

Rail;a Odinga had also sacked the former managing director of the Kenyan Ports Authority {KPA} Abdallah Mwarua an appointee of the Transport Minister Mwakwere.

Political pundits and observers alike says the financial troubled RVR Ltd has two more hurdles to clear if it is to retain the Uganda-Kenya railways line; change its management and secure funding in a matter of days or else pack and go.

And Mr. Odinga has just done that. He appointed a former genius KPA MD Mr. Brown Ondego , who is believed to be a result-oriented technocrat to the coveted position of the executive chairman of the KPA. Ondego an ally of the deputy Prime Minister and ws the ODM coordinator during the last December general election at the COAST.
Oast Province

The Nairobi meeting was aimed at establishing whether the concessionaire has secured the necessary finances and was further willing to change its management as a matter of utmost urgency for its survival.

Sources in the Kenyan capital intimated that the two governments of Kenyan and Uganda. Believes RVR will be forced out if it fails to meet the conditions set by the financiers..

RVR was granted the authority to use the railway lines for both passengers and freight transport for an exclusive period of five and 25 years respectively.

However, going by the assessment by two countries, the concessionaire has peformed â€œ very poorly and has slim chance of retaining the dealâ€

In Uganda, the Minister for Works and Transport John Nasasira was recently taken to a task by members of a parliamentary select committee of physical infrastructure to find â€œan immediate solution to RVR incompetence before the situation gets out of hand.

Ugandan government is reported to have already prepared the Uganda Railways to re-possess and manage the 2,350 â€“km railway network in the country should it come to that.

According to RVR management the new plan would cover rehabilitation of dilapidated section of the main-line track to allow safe passage of trains, upgrading and modernization of the locomotive fleets, wheel and brake replacement and other rehabilitation of the wagon fleets, rehabilitation of passengers coaches and purchase of new locomotive and wagons.

Rehabilitation work would include the renovation; and the installation of new information technology system.

In 2007 RVR had announced its commitment to invest USD 17.5 million in the rehabilitation on the railway network, but both Nairobi and Kampala claim RVR has not lived up to its commitment

According to concession agreement by the Kenyan Railway corporation carried out in the first three months after RVR too over, the company transported 405,170 tones of goods compared with 433,509 tones transported by the Kenya railways corporation in three months proceeding a 6.5 per cent drop.
.
ENDS
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

Speaking for the majority voiceless women, and in highlighting Women’s concerns, It is about time the World take a closer look and step in to provide immidiate Financial Assistance to the women and the Youth of Kisumu in Kenya in an inclusive Growing Market Strategic Development Program. UNDP has recently released information on how businesses may include the global poor as potential customers and how the global poor might benefit from collaborating more closely with businesses in Creating Value for All in the Popular Participation Community Program. This Community Development Program is in essence Regional or Jimbo Trading Initiatives. The Kisumu Women and Youths of Kenya have in the past been constantly left out of meaningful development funding or Pilot Scheme. Coupling with the recently stolen flawed election that brought about destruction of houses and deaths of many, Kisumu and the rest of Nyanza fell deeper into serious poverty lacking the most essential goods to live a normal life.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a blueprint to guide the private sector in Kenya. The sector is expected to partner with the poor through business initiatives aimed at poverty alleviation.

The Plan of Action â€˜strategies for doing business with the poor’ has been developed in conjunction with the United Stated Agency for Development (USAID) and is aimed at boosting the involvement of less privileged members of society through innovations and how it can translate to income as well as boost Small or Start-up Entrepreneurship. Teaming up with Private Businesses can be success story when aimed to overcome the most common obstacles faced by the poor in today’s serious poverty.

The poor have the Talent or Skills which are ready tools necessary to team up with established businesses companies to expand traditional business practices by bringing on board the poor as partners towards economic recovery and expansion. Under the UNDP Private Sector Strategy, the Growing Inclusive Markets (GIM) program simple business venture will tackle the immediate condition of extreme lack of basic needs. This will help along way in realizing the Millenium Development Goals faster within this popular participation. This is a facilitated platform to engage all participating actors in the Business Model so that the pursuits of profit and human progress can work to mutual advantage and spark Social and Economic CHANGE to an improved life.

There is urgency to raise awareness and provide information on how businesses, in collaboration with the government and Civil Society can contribute to human development and realization of the Ratified Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The guidelines in the report seek to inspire and provoke the private sector into action, showing how businesses can get engaged through partnerships with the masses to achieve development.

For instance, in Teaming with the government and other sectors as players, micro-financing should be developed through Constituency Community to stimulate small trading undertakings which directly touch on many poor in areas such as:-

1) Water, Environment and Sanitation
2) Farm Produce and Nutrition Food to include honey
3) Village Clinics and dispensaries for Health
4) Promotion of Music for Entertainment and for Religious Praise and Warship
5) Education Exchange Programs and Distance Learning
6) Rural Computer Learning and Computer Kiosks
7) Construction and Road Maintenance
8) Tourism
9) Fishing Industry
10) Transportatio
11) Retail Business to both Women and Youth
12) Development Banks

The poor can benefit immensely from doing business directly with Private Sector, and could be integrated in the cash flow economy which aims at wider distribution of wealth and income. Public-Private Partnership alliance programme aims at business activities that simulates income for the poor for basic needs.

The poor have a large untapped energy potential and resources for consumption and distribution as well as skills and talents for innovative production within the entreprenuerial activities. The more business integrated including the poor as partners the more the economic growth, the more fulfilment of The Millenium Development Goals.

Women as the Mainstream Players.
In order to overcome obstacles, women should be given opportunities to push for progress.

African women’s fundamental contributions in food production systems needs to be incorporated and supplemented.

Government Ministries must subsidize for their efforts in the contribution to domestic economic inputs and national economies are increasingly acknowledged from women’s inputs. At both grassroots and national levels they have not been documented as inclusion in the National Economy. Women have in the past proved to have energetic efforts to organize, articulate their concerns and make their voices heard with little or no impact from the Leadership. They have also been used as voters by politicians but get very little reward. They are now pressing for an expansion of women’s economic and social opportunities, and the advancement of women’s rights. I speak for the majority voiceless. We are now fired up to DEMAND TO BE HEARD because we have the the dynamism we have displayed in the economic, cultural and social lives of the communities through associations and informal networks are now channelling into creating new models of participation and leadership by improving our own positions. This will eventually strengthen African society as a whole, as well as enhance continent’s broader development prospects.

In the demand for private sector financing of entrepreneurship it has been due to several factors, including:

a) Lack of government financial resource allocation to women’s development Agendas
b) Government’s non-commital to Stimulant incentive aid to poor families
c) Government’s non-commital to Traditional and Cultural noms that are cruel to women and are seen as Human Rights Abuse like women inheritence, acqusition of lands etc.,
d) Lack of Improved methods of Entreprenuership to meet Trading challenges
e) Lack of collatoral to acquire funding
f) Lack of Government’s goodwill and political enabling environment

Despite the existence of a large number of potential UN and Non-Governmental programs or Pilot Projects, significant numbers of project deals and funds do not reach some Regions like Kisumu (Nyanza) which in many cases are marginalized and are now facing abject serious poverty and hunger, lacking in the most fundamental essentials one needs to live a reasonable life.

It is for the above reason why Networking for Entrepreneurship and Trading will be something about time the Women and the Community of Nyanza embark on Globalization of Trading and merchandizing through Private Sector initiative which will help acquire UN Millenium Development Goals within the time frame.

Consequently, I support and will continue to forster activities that will compliment Global networking entrepreneurship and business trading to the realization of UN Millenium Development Goals Agenda as well as UN UNDP Business Initiatiative in Creating Value for all.

Thank you,

Judy Miriga
USA

NB:
Economic Poverty is the cause of all evil. Wife beating will be a thing of the past. Lets work together for a better peaceful future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j5CeHyzZKI&feature=related

Nyanza Jimbo Economic Conference coming up in August 7-8 2007
Posted in June 27th, 2008
by Editor in Majimbo Debate, Nyanza

( File photo of Kisumu City,Nyanza Jimbo Hqs) ( Kisumu Hotel-Conference Venue)
The Nyanza Economic Conference will take place on 7-8 August 2008 at the Maseno University Kisumu Hotel.
The conference has been organized by the Nyanza Economic Forum, a non-partisan network of individuals, groups and organizations established to find strategic solutions to the social and economic challenges impeding Nyanza province.

The 2008 Nyanza Economic Conference aims to provide a unique platform for projecting practical pathways for elevating the region into an investment hub. The recent launch of vision 2030 by the Government of Kenya and the infrastructural improvement set to commence in Nyanza, makes the region a prime investment destination. The Nyanza Economic Conference intends to attract participation from investors, development partners, government and individuals from the region to enable them to reap maximum benefits from the available opportunities.

The dream of every Kenyan of living a quality life and having economic success as enshrined in the GOK Vision 2030 motivated the members of Nyanza Economic Forum to play a role in ensuring that the region plays its role in achieving these noble national goals. The Conference will put the spotlight on Nyanza province as a frontier for a diversity of investments. Being the third largest city in Kenya, Kisumu City is the economic center for western Kenya which offers enormous investment opportunities that seems to have been underutilized since independence.

This is a right move towards the right direction.
I appeal to all luos to join hands and let us build our REGION.
To much politics will not put food at the table, it is hard-work and engaging the community to get Jembes and make wealth.

Jaramba- Asemo Republic said,
in June 27th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

What a mighty a idea ? Can someone give me more information about this group ?

Akinyi Nyarowilla-Mombasa said,
in June 27th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

I am comming makata koth ema ochwee.
Luos for years have been subjected alienated economically by the government, now that wuod Oganda omak wi thiang’ we must show Kenyans that we are not just josiasa or professional but we can as well compete economically through hard working.

Ojula JaSuba-Sweden said,
in June 27th, 2008 at 2:26 pm

Majimbo-Nyanza editor, you have made me home sick.
What a pictorsque view of Kisumu City and Royale Hotel.
I wish could make it. Please, Fracisca and Judy keep us in touch. I would want to participate in future.

Suz Awino- said,
in June 27th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

May God bless home.

Domnic said,
in June 27th, 2008 at 7:10 pm

It has come at the right time when all luos have seen our failures.It is true the government has been out to frustrate us since independence. But our reaction to the frustration has been low level in the sense that no positive action from our people has been noticed.

History will judge us very harshly because we fail to turn frustration by the government as a motivator to overcome challenges as the jews, and other minorities who have gone through discrimination like luos in kenya.We had the most educated people in kenya at one time. They never utilised their education to overcome our problems.

Now,the all kenyans are laughing at us because our education is the lowest in the country a part from North Eastern. The educated luos we have do not care about their own people.They just care about their own family.

Though it is not late, we should all attend this meeting with open mind. Let us look critically
where we have failed and make a practical solutions. Again ,we should not include politicains at this stage because they always
look for their individual benefits.

Luos in diaspora will be very interested to be part of the participants from initial stage. Therefore, while discusing the agenda, you should create a department for them.You must include them .

We all support the iniator. Keep it up.

mangala f.muhanji said,
in June 28th, 2008 at 7:55 am

have never seen such wonderful event in any of the cities in Kenya,kindly keep it up, its doing to be well done job.how is the requirements to attend?we wish to be there.

John McCain is still talking about his tired gimmicks and failed ideas on energy — like giving even more billions in tax breaks to Big Oil while working Americans pay more and more at the pump.

We can’t afford four more years of the Bush-McCain policies that have been so devastating to our families and our towns in Ohio.

As president, here are just a few things Barack Obama’s New Energy for America plan would do:

Give American workers a “Making Work Pay” tax credit of $1,000 per family

Enact a windfall tax on oil companies’ record-breaking profits

Invest $150 billion in clean energy over 10 years

This plan would lay the foundation for our secure energy future, producing American energy and creating jobs — right here in Ohio. But we need your help to put that plan into action.

You can have an impact right now. Write a letter to your local paper and tell them why you think we need a real energy policy with real alternatives. Our online tool makes it easier than ever to make your voice heard.

No, I’m not being cynical or feeling hopelessly discouraged, on the contrary I’m bringing up an issue that has the potential to one day destroy our country. In my travels, I’ve come to realize that wherever I go, hate is always a very powerful force or emotion. I’ve traveled to parts of the United States where I sat in a Holiday Inn lobby watching news and suddenly the TV was turned off. When I asked why it was being turned off, here is the reply I got. “I’m turning it off because nobody is watching it.” You get the point? I am a nobody because of my skin color.

Hate.

Then I think about Rwanda. This is where more than one million Hutus killed the Tutsis because of simmering tribal animosity. If you’ve had a chance to watch Hotel Rwanda, Don Cheadle starring, what you’ve witnessed is how cruel and cannibalistic man can be. The hate that’s projected in that movie is enough to make one wonder whether there is any redemptive quality in man. Yes, there’s Mandela and Mahatma and Abraham Lincoln, men who fought hard to turn back the tide of hate in their communities, but for each of them, there were hundreds of others who fought hard to preserve the legacy of hate that they inherited from their forefathers.

Hate.

And recently I was talking to a Mexican friend of mine. She has watched the immigration debate in America and Europe. What this good professor sees is hate, pure and simple. Why, for example, do the Australians find it necessary to put asylum seekers in detention centers…with their wives and children? Would they still detain them if the immigrants were predominantly from a Western nation with a Judeo-Christian background? And why does Europe continue to enact immigration laws that are clearly meant to keep black and brown people out? They say they want to control the flow of immigrants into their shores and plan their future effectively. I agree with that. But when you look at the punitive nature of these new laws and the fact that they are enforced by the great grandchildren of men and women who enslaved our great grandfathers and grandmothers, don’t you begin to wonder about fairness? So when you see so many Africans turned back from Europe, you know what’s at play here.

Hate.

And before I turn my attention to Kenya, I want to remind us of what happened in Israel. Over there, a number of people managed to get out of the boiling Darfur, tiptoed into and through Egypt, then crossed and landed in Israel. When word of their presence reached the Israeli authorities, they were promptly rounded up and sent back to Darfur. To the boiling pot . The minister responsible said beaten down Sudanese were economic refugees! Can you believe this? Had the Israelis never heard of Darfur?

Hate.

Closer home, I look at the ongoing tribal animosity with increasing fear. Since the sixties, we’ve practiced the politics of tribe. First it was the GEMA and the Luo community coming together. This was an alliance that sustained a Kenyatta presidency. The other thing it did was to keep smaller Kenyan tribes on the periphery of power. Then there was the KAMATUSA. This alliance sustained the Moi administration. The other thing it did was to turn Kenya into a Kalenjin Kingdom. Now there is the Kibaki administration. This is one of the most cynical administrations to ever rule Kenya. Before the coalition government was put in place, it had literally turned Kenya into a Kikuyu Kingdom. The downside to this kind of politics has been to tribalize Kenya in a way that if not checked, could lead us down a path to a revolution. Why? Because alliances inevitably create an US verses THEM complex. These alliances create hate. Is it any wonder that our brothers and sisters in Central Province felt left out in the Western Alliance of Raila, Ruto and Mudavadi? And is it any wonder that Kenyans have felt left out in the grab grab grab mentality that’s characterized the Kibaki leadership? When will we start practicing the politics of ideas? When will we go with issue-driven campaigns? Policy-guided leadership?

Hate.

I fear hate.

When the Hutus called the Tustsi cockroaches, they went all out to exterminate them. When the Nazis called the Jews rats, they went all out to destroy them. And now, I see a Kenya where Kikuyus are called thieves, the Luos are called dirty and AIDS carriers, the Luhyas are called watchmen and ugali-eaters and the Kalenjin are called dumb and militaristic. This is the language of hate. It must have no place in a modernizing Kenya. We must all work towards a Kenya where our children will embrace all of the nation’s children as brothers and sisters. Where genuine admiration will exist for the Kikuyu for their liberation of our nation from colonial bondage, where accolades will be extended to the Kalenjin for turning over power peacefully when Moi’s Kenyatta was beaten at the polls, where the Luo will be respected for producing some of the nation’s best brains, where the varied tribes of our nation will be celebrated for their strengths…strengths that together form the beautiful stretch of land that we all adoringly call our motherland.

Forgiveness.

Fellow Kenyans, let hate give way to forgiveness. We’ve all done things that have oiled the path to hatred. The first step is to look deep inside and see where our actions may have abetted this vice. We don’t have to announce to the world what a self-examination reveals about our hateful ways, but we can all begin by forgiving ourselves and making a promise, to ourselves…individually, that we’ll work hard to advance harmony rather than project hate.

I know that it’s not easy to let our prejudices go, but I also know that we must start the process of letting Kenya emerge as a cohesive, loving nation.

Folks, the world out here is full of hate. We must work hard to create a place where our children can grow up without experiencing the bitter hate that rules the world. It would be nice if one day all of the Kenyans of the Diaspora will come back to a nation unified in love and purpose, a place where they will come back to rest after battling the fears and indignities of living in a thoughtless, cold world.

EAC Headquarters, Arusha, 5 August 2008: The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Juma Mwapachu has advanced a new ethos of the armed forces in the EAC region which, he said, should combine their core values of high military preparedness with corporate social responsibility; and increasingly put military resources to civilian advantage. The Secretary General said the military should shed image that is ingrained in the popular psyche of an establishment that is only concerned with activities of armed engagement in battles and wars.

The Secretary General made these observations during the tour of the munitions production plant at the Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation (KOFC) in Eldoret, 5 August 2008 on the second day of his four-day (4-7 August) familiarization tour of defense institutions and establishments in Kenya. The Secretary GeneralÂ¢s visit to the defense institutions in Kenya follows similar visits he made in 2007 to the defense institutions in Tanzania and Uganda. The Kenyan tour that had been planned for September 2007 was postponed due to the elections campaigns that were taking place in the country at the time.

During todayÂ¢s visit, the Secretary General was taken round the production lines of the Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation by the Management of the Corporation led by the Managing Director, Brigadier S.G. Mohammed. The Management of KOFC briefed the Secretary General on the agricultural projects, environment and water management as well as community development projects, in health and educational development, which the local and wider civil society and business community are participating in and benefitting from.

The Secretary General said that he was impressed by the application of modern advanced technology in the KOFC munitions plant, noting also that the KOFC was engaged in the production and provision of quality products for civilian uses as well as input to the commercial demand. He said the EAC is making plans to bring similar defense institutions in the EAC Partner States together to harmonize their technological capabilities to exchange views and experiences towards rationalizing their utilization of resources and investments and benefitting from the economies of scale to avoid wasteful duplication as well as addressing, in concert, other implications and ramifications of the armaments industry.

Directorate of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
East African Community
Arusha

“A change is as good as a rest,” so they say! Regardless of how good
a program or a leader is, there comes a time when a change is necessary. This move gives a break to those who for various reasons did not like a given leader. Furthermore, it allows for new ideas. It’s in view of this that I like and advocate the following:

1.Democracies that allow a leader to be in the office for a certain period of time.

2.Institutions/organizations/churches that transfer their employees after serving for a certain period of time.

3.The idea of choosing/replacing church officers after every year or couple years! This needs extra attention though, so as to avoid recycling some leaders over and over again. It’s this recycling game that finally leads to the break up in many churches

All the above can be described as things temporal and can be effected as people decide. If done with fairness and by following rules as stipulated by any given institution, it should not cause any problem.

That said, there are other things that belong to the category of “things permanent!” This category belongs to the Lord of the universe and must by no means tampered by any thinking human being, regardless of his or her status in the society! Included in this list are the following:

1. The institution of marriage: The Lord of the universe gave very specific guidelines on this subject that was meant to stay for ever. Once two people have chosen to go this route, the phrase that must be maintained is, “Till death alone do us part!”

2.The Sabbath: This is another institution that does not need
a theological degree to understand. The Bible is very clear on what needs to be done and which day people should go to church! Many have tried over the centuries to bring out their own interpretation but no amount of confusion will change Go’s original plan! It must be accepted and obeyed by faith in the Lord of the universe!

3. God’s tithing system: From the very beginning, God made a provision for His work on earth. His plan is simple, fair, considerate, and workable. God does not need any one to alter or make any additions.

On the category of the things permanent, you and I can argue, try to find fault, or wish it were changed. Unfortunately you and I have no mandate to change the things of God. Our obligation in these areas is to follow “thus said the Lord! Those who have by faith chosen to go God’s way, have gone into their graves with hopes of hearing these words on the resurrection morning, “Well done thou faithful servant!”

In my devotion this morning, I pleaded with the good Lord to not only forgive me but also help me to be faithful in both respecting and obeying the “things of God!” How about you my friend!

There are some things in life that I have learned in a hard way. It has actually happened not just once, but several times! Let me explain!

1.When I was an employee at Fedex Kinkos,I made a very silly mistake. I came in one morning and there was a big well written poster with the words, “HAPPY 7TH ANNIVERSARY Amy!” “Why Amy!” I asked as I took an offense immediately! Why? Because a day before, I had celebrated my 26th wedding anniversary without any one saying anything! And so I would not understand why they chose to congratulate Amy! I went about doing my duties but deep inside me, there was hard feelings. During the employees’ meeting, the assistant manager started by saying that the company was happy to recognize the 7 year service of Amy! Yes, it wasn’t a wedding anniversary but rather a work anniversary! Can you believe how I felt.

2. One day,a friend was fired. He was really upset with this other friend whom he suspected was behind his being fired! He actually called him names and told him his peace of mind! He was very surprised to find out that indeed this guy knew nothing about his being fired! Instead, it was his closest friend who told on him!

3.When we lived in Texas, our house was broken in day light. A computer, TV, and System was stolen. Then, I thought that I knew who had stolen. Imagine the pain when I found out that it was stolen by a family friend that I least expected.

4.Several times I have preached at places that I had not been to before. At the end of the sermon, I have found one or two people extremely annoyed that I preached about them! The interesting thing is that I had no prior idea as to who those people were!

5.Not long ago, whenever I send a write up to this particular forum, someone always wrote something negative. I was very surprised to find out that it was one that I considered and treated as a dear friend for many years!

6.There were these two young men who shared an apartment and worked for the same company. One of them had a problem with the manager and he stood to loose his job. One day, he received through the post office,what he thought was his letter of termination. He took the letter, opened it,read it, and tore it into pieces. He then sat down and wrote a very nasty
e-mail, calling his boss all kinds of names. The boss was shocked beyond measure! Why! Because it was his friend who had been fired and not him.

Have you ever found yourself in this kind of situation? Here is my 2 cents advise. “Even when you think that you have all the answers, please think again for you might hurt someone who had nothing against you!” Do you see my point!

WIDOWS APPEAL TO ELDERS TO END BIASED CULTURAL PRACTICES OF â€˜WIFE INHERITANCE’

First of all according to Luo customs, â€˜Jater’ a levir, a man who takes a widow in a leviratic customs has no right to anything except for food and accommodation for the day and time. â€˜Jater’ has no prescriptive right, cannot be allocated anything except temporary usufruct.

But it is upon the widow to let it go farther if she wishes but she is not encouraged to do so after â€˜Jater’ has appeared. Note that according to Luo customs even a widow of 80 years goes through this ritual. It is not sex as some press has put it over the years.

One asks as to why is this custom so and why can it not be discarded? It is an activity which involves two parties like marriage and you cannot just get rid of it over night.

Luos, both men and women are superstitious and fearful people. They believe in the ghost of the dead that would hound them in future if they fail to do some rituals. They also believe that the elders by birth control the magic and ghost of ancestors. This power of the elder is still vested in the quasi-religious-magical beliefs of the people. In other words the principle of being first born, i.e. primogeniture is inherent in Luo culture.

In this marital circumstance therefore, it is erroneous to look at one cultural practice and judge the whole. Culture is all around us and it is never a one event or activity. For example, for all human beings, marriage is one of the most important metamorphoses in life. It also generates more problems and joy as well. Problems are mainly due to ignorance of man and woman.

As for Luos, marriage has a host of many rituals and cultural practices that one cannot ignore and come up with one prescriptive phrase that â€˜leave the widows aloneâ€¦â€¦â€¦â€¦..’ For Luos widows are part of a home. This is why among the Luos, there is no word called, divorce.

This is evidenced by Luos burying their deceased wives whom they were not cohabiting at time of death. For Luos, according to the customs, marriage is for eternity.

Now on widow care which you erroneously term as â€˜wife inheritance’, the purpose is not to inherit but be on stand by for cultural fulfillment. The purpose is to take care and perpetuate the lineage of the deceased husband. The ghost of the dead ensures continuity. Also take note that there is nothing like mandatory sex unless the widow voluntarily consents to it. It symbolizes care as that done for a woman of 80 years. However if the ladies want to go the sexual way, no one discourages it. Particularly if she is young and needs more children to extend the lineage of her late husband. When this spreads AIDS and STD is upon the two like in any normal human activity.

Cultures change over time. Just as Luos have abandoned the practice of removing six lower teeth, they did not need foreign press to tell them to stop. The same can be said of male/female mutilation which is not a cultural practice among Luos. Luo customs are good and bond the community together if followed and applied respectfully in the changing environment and times

1.I kneel down and thank the good Lord for another good night rest. I have told myself to stop taking life for granted. There are some who go to sleep and unfortunately have no chance of seeing another day!

2.I pray for my family members, church members, friends and enemies!

3.I spent the early morning hours to prayerfully and meditatively study the sure word of God!

4.In keeping with the rules of good health, I start the day by drinking 2-3 glasses of water. Every time I do that I thank the good Lord for water. It’s a known fact that there are some people out there who sometimes lack even water to drink!

5.I check my in box for any e-mails that may require immediate attention!

6.I open the curtains to allow for the outside light. Oh! How I love to see the beauty outside!

7.During the good weather, I go for the morning nature walk. I truly enjoy God’s world and appreciate the singing of birds. The flowers kind of give me a glimpse picture of that which we have read about the home for the saints!

8.I then take a shower, and I mean a warm shower. This is the one area that reminds me of my bitter past. I do recall years that I went to the river to take a shower. Then I washed my clothes and while they were drying, I enjoyed swimming. What amuses me most is the kind of game or call it tricks that I used to play with my back. Since the water was too cold, I sat there and threw some water passed my back. Once the back accepted it, then I continued to enjoy swimming. So every time I take a warm shower, I praise the good Lord for that!

9.Breakfast is another good one that reminds me daily to thank the good Lord! There are millions out there that do not have food!

10.I them embark on the day doing church work such as visitation, calling my members, writing some thoughts, and being careful lest I hurt or offend God’s children.

11.Throughout the day, I continue to praise and send my petitions to the good Lord, who alone is able to keep us and provide for our daily needs!

Parts of this feature are sourced from EASTAFRICAN, Unep and other agencies

By Leo Odera Omolo

The controversial Mau Forest Complex has taken a new political dimension with Egypt and all the major movers of the Nile river basin â€“Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have all been reported as being in the process of putting pressure on Kenya to keep the Mau alive.

The fact that Kenyaâ€™s most influential WEEKLY this week dedicated its several pages discussing the Mau Complex issues and their long term economic repercussions reveals it all about how the matter is touchy and so important to close to 300 million people in the Great Lakes region.

The EASTAFRICAN, a weekly publication of the Nation Media Group in a lead article revealed that Lake Victoria which is shared between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and Lake Turkana shared by Kenya and Ethiopia As well as Lake Natron shared by Kenya and Tanzania are all facing environmental degradation as the result of wanton destruction of trees in the 400,000 hectares Mau Complex.

The paper further revealed that six major rivers, the Nzoia, Yala, Nyando, Sondu Miriu, Kuja and Mara are part of the Nile Basin and Kenya is a signatory to several International conventions obliging it to protect the fragile ecosystems.

The paper further traced the problem to extensive corrupt and ill-planned settlements perpetrated by the prevous KANU regime of former President Daniel Arap Moiâ€™s during which time the administration was involved in illegal excision and state sponsored encroachment led to the destruction of some 104, 6000 hectares of land in the Mau Forest representing 24 % of the Mau Complex area.

Moiâ€™s regime is to blame for the massive destruction of forests that is now threatened major productive sectors in the country.

Although Moiâ€™s regime had since 1979 occasionally hived off pieces of land from the countryâ€™s forests, it embarked on a grand plan to excise a total of 67,185 hectares of forests land on February 16, 2001. The aim was to easy out land pressure among his Kalenjin tribesmen especially the Tugen and Kipsigis sub clans of the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups.The Kipsigis in particular lost most of its prime land to the white British settlers at the turn of the 2oth century, which the Whites used for tea plantations in the Kericho region leaving this particular community to be densely populated in a small area of unproductive reserve land.

Kenya is a member of the Nile Basin Initiative and lately the pressure has been applied, not only by the Nile Basin Countries, but also by super power- Japan, a country credited for having extended to Kenya Multibillion dollars financial credit line in Kshs 13 billion which was recently utilized in the construction and establishment of the new Sondu-Miriu Hydroelectric Power Station.

Sondu Miriu power project is facing a real threat due to acute shortage of water to run its double turbans as most river feeding it with waters are reportedly drying upstream due to wanton destruction of water catchment at the Mau complex.

Moiâ€™s administration had then explained that it needed to regularize the boundaries of existing forests to reflect the massive encroachment on forests that had already taken place over the years.

But despite this explanation, environmentalist groups started sustained campaigns to oppose the scheme, with some groups to count.

The Kenya Forestry Working Group (KFWG), which brings together non-governmental conservation organizations, community groups, private environmentalist and Quasigovernmental bodies, entered into partnership with the Division of Early Warning And Assessment Programme, which supplied personnel and equipment to ascertain whether it was true that people had been settled in the forest concerned.

The largest excision affected Eastern Mau Forest Reserve and South West Mau Forest Reserve where 35,301 hectares were excised and 22,797 hectares respectively were excised, representing 54.3 % and 27.3 % of these forests, according to a report by Mr. Chriatian Lambretch and other experts who flew over the forest on the request of NGOs.

Mr. Lambretch recently presented his report during a workshop in Nairobi to address the crisis.

The report says the Moiâ€™s regime had started to settle people in such areas as Ndoinet, Saino,Karao, Boraget, Tinet and Kabongoi in the south western and eastern Mau forests.

Mau complex is estimated to cover 400,000 hectares- an area as large as Mount Kenya and the Abaredare Forests combined. The Mau Forest Complex is a mountain Forest that is also â€œwater towerâ€ from which 12 major rivers flow in to five lakes in East Africa.

The new power Station is already in dilemma due to acute shortage of water. Only one turbine is running while the second is currently shut down. The official commissioning of the project by President Mwai Kibaki last month could not take place and was put forward to a later date.

Egypt is known to have never wanted the contentious 1959 Nile Treaty, which gave Egypt exclusive rights to 76 % of the Nile waters-to be reviewed and is likely to play rough should it feel that the source of the Nile is threatened.

The issue has now taken an international angle because the Mau Complex also affects the neighbouring Tanzania by virtue of Mara River, which feeds into Serengeti National Park.

Tanzanian authorities who closely monitor the changes in the Mara River had raised their concern through the East African Community (EAC) three years ago. However, unknown to the public is the fact that as early as in the year 2005, Dar-es-salaam, Kampala and Cairo had started applying pressure on Nairobi to arrest the degradation of the Mau Complex before it got out of hand.

This is a clear testimony that Mau Forest Complex is not really a Kenyan affair, but rather an international issue whose ramifications are nightmares and unimaginable, should the Mau Forest collapse.

The Mara River is classified as an â€œinternational riverâ€ shared between Kenya and Tanzania. However, since it flows into Lake Victoria, the dimension grows bigger and other players come in.

The World Wildlife Fund(WWF), which runs the Mara River Basin Initiative, notes that the Mara River Basin is about 13,750 square kilometers, of which about 65 percent is located in Kenya and 35 per cent in Tanzania.

It runs through the famous Maasai Mara game reserve on the Kenya side and the Serengeti National Park on the Tanzanian side, both of which are of global conservation significance and great economic importance. The Mara River empties into Lake Victoria-the source of the Nile.

And that is how Kampala and Cairo came into play. Anything that affects Lake Victoria has a multiplier consequences on the Nile River.

Egypt seems adamant on the continuation of the 1959 agreement it signed with the British Colonial rulers long before riparian states attained their political independence in the early 1960s and does not want to permit new vistas and agreements on the sharing of the Nile waters. This is the most worrying points for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

â€œInstead of co-operating with Ethiopia and other Nile countries, Egypt resorts to subterfuge on a number of occasions to divert world public option and even went to the extent of sponsoring disgruntled political groupings such as the Somali warlord factions and the Ertrean government as a form of deterrence and probably as political intimidation directed against Ethiopian government.

For the past 10 years, the division of Early Warning and Assessment of the United Nations Environment and plethora of civic society organizations and relevant government agencies have kept a close watch on the Mau Complex and produced concrete reports and recommendations in the grim prospects fomented by the settlers in the area.

The reality of the destruction of the Mau Complex in economic terms surpasses the figure given by UNEP of USD 300 million. It simply unquantifiable, when one considers the geopolitics involved at play.

Being the largest closed-canopy ecosystem in Kenya, the Mau Complex is moderately estimated to be as large as the forests of Mt. Kenya and the Abardare combined.

Rift Valley Nyanza and Western Provinces depends entirely on the Mau as it is the single most important water catchment for these three provinces.

Extensive illegal, irregular and ill-planned settlements, as well as illegal forest resources extraction and overuse of water by large-scale irrigation plantation are leading other capitals in the region to ask Nairobi some hard questions.

Key tourist destinations that are both nationally and internationally recognized reserves including the famous Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Kakamega Forest Reserve depend on the Mau Complex. All these are distressed by the current scenario that is at play in the Mau Complex.

According to a recent survey carried out by a private consultant firm for Kengen, Masinga Dam-which provides over 50 percent of Kenyaâ€™s electricity-is as a result of forest loss upstream. The same scenario now faces the Kshs. 13 billion Sondu-Miriu Hydro Power Project, even before its inauguration.

This is not the first evictions have been affected in the Mau. In 2006, a similar attempt was made to reclaim the already depleted forests, but political expediency reigned over environmental concerns.

It is also significant to note that the Kenyan politicians vehemently opposed to the reclamation of the Mau are using the plight of the settlers and their economic and social vulnerability to score points in the public-relations sphere.

Issues such as poverty are being bandied about to block the government of Kenyaâ€™s attempt to reclaim the prized possession.

At the centre of the storm is the politics around the Orange Democratic Movementâ€™s(ODM) survival in the South Rift where the party had enjoyed almost 100% support in the 2007 general elections and the tug-of-war with its equal partner in the grand Coalition Government, the Party Of National Unity (PNU).

I also have to thank the many people who sent me encouraging messages. Special mention must be made of Mundia Jnr, Orina Namwamu, Bob Arunga, Nick Ayimba and many more.

Your support and encouragement enabled me to have my mum buried on schedule, and with ease. Losing a Mum is such a blow. I may not list all the people who helped me. but kindly do have my thanks.

Funerals are a community affair, and even for the rich, the community must still come in. This is why I will not mind the kind of insult I got from Elly Odhiambo Omondi on account of my Mum’s death. I take those insults with a humble heart, and I pray to God for more wisdom to enable me not to be that arrogant to any bereaved person here on planet earth.

RAILA SAYS THE GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT IS SET TO BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH OF WESTERN KENYA.

By Leo Odera Omolo

Parts of the previously marginalized western regions should expect increased development activities in the near future and will never be kept in isolation again.

The Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga declared this before a mammoth crowd of enthusiastic supporters who thronged this yearâ€™s ASK Agricultural Show at the Mamboleo Show Ground in the outskirts of Kisumu City at the weekend.

The function was Mr. Odingaâ€™s first major official engagement inside Luo-Nyanza when he officially declared the Show open amid prolonged applause and ululations and shouts of â€œAgwambo, Agwamboâ€.

He said the region had suffered economic isolation under successive regimes over the years, but the grand coalition would ensure this is never repeated again.

â€œI am well aware that this region from economic marginalization over the years, as borne out by a number of studies by the Planning Ministry over the years,â€ said the P.M.

Mr. Odinga made what political pundits and observers alike termed as a major policy speech when he presided over his first official function in his Nyanza home turf since becoming Prime Minister under the Grand Coalition government accord..

Railaâ€™s entourage which was made up of more than a dozen cabinet ministers, assistant ministers, MPs and top government officials had a lot of difficulties accessing the Show ground, a five minute drive from Kisumu City Center. Huge crowds made it nightmare for â€œAgwamboâ€™sâ€ convoy to maneuver its way around the lakeside city.

The area is perceived to be the bedrock of his political support and it proved this beyond any reasonable doubt when the city streets were jumped to capacity all along from the airport to the city centre from as early as 8.am in the morning. The police had hard time keeping vigil to ensure the function was incident free.

Raila promised his audience that he would act tough and precisely against corruption, land grabbing, insecurity and also tackle the issue of poor infrastructure, which hinders investment in Kenya.

â€œAny government officer found to be involved in corrupt practices will go home,â€ declared Mr. Odinga, adding that with the upgrading of Kisumu Airport, which was now due, Western Kenya would be opened and linked to the wider world.

The Prime Minister urged the residents to monitor International trade trends and identify areas they could exploit to the maximum..

Raila said the recently released HIV and AIDS prevalence report had put Luo-Nyanza on top. He appealed to the residents to take necessary precautions to reduce infections. Among recommendation he made was the need for male voluntary circumcision

The PM promised to write off the Kshs 47 billion owed to the Agricultural Finance Corporation, a parastatal organization by Sugar Millers as one way of resuscitating the ailing sugar industry. And at the same time he told Sugar Cane farmers in the Western region that the government would arrange affordable credit for them to increase their yield.

Raila praised the recent regulations on the importation of sugar into the country and expressed full support on action recently taken by the Minister for Agriculture William Ruto who had imposed a total ban on Sugar imports to curb illegal stocks that sell cheaply at the expense of local produce.

The PM gave a stern warning that the government would use its agencies to impound and burn illegal sugar stocks sourced from the outside country.

Nyanza province, said Raila, was especially segregated during the Kenyatta era following disagreement between the first vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and the founding President Jomo Kenyatta. The region, he added, was further shunned by the Moi administration as its leader allegedly engaged in â€œbadâ€ politics.

Odinga disclosed that an investment conference like the one he attended in London last week be replicated in Kisumu City to â€œ showcase what this region can offer to those who seek to partner with usâ€.

The PM also disclosed that the grand coalition government was planning priority on health, cooperative and irrigation projects to quickly address challenges constraining economic productivity in Western Kenya.

Mr. Odinga also asked insurance Companies to compensate people who incurred losses in Post-election violence.

Many people had suffered losses, but had yet to be compensated. More than 100 were shot dead and hundreds of businesses suffered severe damage in the aftermath of looting spree.

Present at the function were Ministers William Ruto (Agriculture), Dalmas Otieno (Public Service), James Orengo(Lands), Dr. Paul Otuoma (Fishaeries), a host of Local MPs and ASK Kisumu branch officials led by Mr. Rhida Ahonobadha.

This yearâ€™s Kisumu ASK Showâ€™s theme is â€œEmpowering people through growth in Agricultureâ€.

The Prime Minister also paid homage to the family of the late elderly and respected church leader Pastor Mathayo Wandiga who was given a fitting sending off burial at his home in Simbi village in Central Karachuonyo in Rachuonyo District where he addressed thousands of mourners.

The late Mzee Wandiga is one of the pioneer preachers in the area with SDA church and was the father of Prof. Shem Wandiga of the university of Nairobiâ€™s department of Applied sciences the late Dan Okwatch and Simmy Wangiga among others. He was a highly respected church elders who preached the word of gospel in the region for well over 60 years..

End.
Leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

THE EAST AFRICAN BUSINESS SUMMIT HELD IN KAMPALA CALLED FOR HARMONIZATION OF TRADE AND COMPETITIVINESS

By Leo Odera Omolo

More the 150 business leaders from across East Africa recently gathered in the Ugandan Capital City of Kampala to deliberate on how the region could become more competitive in the global arena.

The East African Business Summit was held between July 19th and 20th 2008.

These business leaders were joined in their deliberation by a number of ministers and other public sector players.

For the East African region competitive, individual corporate players would need to be competitive. The CEOs present undertook to build into their business plan messages from the Kampala summit.

But for the countries and the region to be competitive, the business community and governments need to engage in dialogue and to collaborate in bringing about the desired change.

The business leaders identified the need to prioritize actions to be undertaken and to restrict themselves to a small number of cross-cutting, regional issues that they are able to do something about.

The Kampala meeting resolved to put together a â€œRound Tableâ€ made up of 5 summit participants from each of the countries to do the following:

Be catalyst for the setting up of â€œRound Tableâ€ grouping in their respective countries to engage the Presidents quarterly on major issues affecting the competitiveness of the region.
Learn from the â€œRound Tableâ€ groupings in other countries in their regions and share best practice.
Form a regional â€œRound Tableâ€ made up of the country â€œRound Tableâ€ grouping for the purpose of harmonizing their approach to over-arching issues.

Seek audience with the presidents of the five countries before the end of the calendar year to present the outcomes of the Kampala meeting, what they are doing about it and the area where the intervention of the political leaders is required.

The conference identified a number of â€œlow hanging fruitsâ€ that the regional â€œRound Tableâ€ should prioritize. These are the following:

urgent extension of working hours (probably to 24 hours a day) at border crossing points and the standardization of documentation in order to facilitate movements of goods and services.
The urgent updating signing implementation of double taxation protocols among the East African states.
The introduction of one visa for all visitors to East Africa, in order to enhance the attractiveness of the region as a tourist and business meetings destination.
The urgent removal of barriers to the free movement and employment of East African human capital within East Africa.

As far as the longer term initiatives to make the region more competitive are concerned, the meeting considered the improvement of the railway and road network, ports, and energy as priority number one. In this regard, the regional â€œtableâ€ will engage political leaders from the following far-reaching plans:

the need to plan and develop seamless and standardized arterial rail and road network on a regional basis, not on a country basis. This should be done through regional rail and road boards.
The possible use of professionals in the military to fast-track the building of roads.
The need to enhance efficiency at the ports through concessioning, and finally the urgent need to make investments now to increase power generation to meet the future needs of the region and to distribute the power efficiency across the region.

Yusto and Mary Awich are sad to inform you of the death of Jaduong Narkiso Koko Nyandara of Kasipul Kachien Kaluoch, which occurred on July 29th, 2008 at Kisii Hospital after an illness. Narkiso Koko Nyandara was the father to Mary Awich and father-in-law to Yusto Awich (USA). He is survived by sons Sospeter Omollo and Benjamin Owino Koko; and daughters Jedida Akoth, Nerea Aoko, Ruth Atieno and Joyce Adhiambo (of Kenya).

You are invited to attend a fundraising meeting at the residence of Yusto and Mary Awich to help offset medical and burial expenses. This will be held on August 9, 2008, from 7PM, at the address shown below. We thank you in advance for your generous support and prayers during this time of bereavement.

We all know too well that it takes time, many sessions of meeting and talking and persuasion before winning someone to your side! Reflect on the following!

1.I hope those of us who are married have not forgotten all that we went through before our spouse finally said yes!
2.Some churches do recall how long it took them to get the kind of pastor that they were looking for. Many hours of sacrifice, prayer, talking and convincing!
3.Some institutions/ organizations/employers remember too well how long it took them before they got the kind of CEO or employer that they were looking for!
4.Most business people use different kinds of techniques to convince the customers to buy their product!

What’s annoying or of great concern is that once any of the above has succeeded, or better still, once they have won them, they turn around and treat them like trash! Just think about this:

1.There are spouses who have treated their own like they don’t matter! They threaten them every single day, talk of how stupid their spouses are and how they can do without them! I used to think that this took place to non-believers until it dawned on me that believers might after all be worse off in mistreating those who at one time they called all kinds of sweet names-honey, sweet heart, darling, baby, etc! I have witnessed situations where one spouse treats another one in a very humiliating way and in public!
2.There have been some cases whereby a once loved employee has been kicked out as a criminal. Those kicked out have found it hard to believe that these are the same people who have always said kind words to them! Many have left their previous jobs with anger and frustrations!
3.Have you ever been late to pay your car note, any bill or run into an overdraft? You know too well that the way they call and talk to you is so un-friendly!

Well, I can go on an on. But I have chosen to pose here and ask this question. Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why do we turn around and mistreat those that we worked so hard to win to our side! Why not let the same love that led us in the first place to this people come into play!

My appeal to those who are mistreating others is to change course, repent, and do the right thing! If you know such a one will you please forward this e-mail to him or her?

Wsup everybody, just wanted to let you know that we’re running aGROUP
SPECIAL this week only!!! BUY 4 TICKETS and GET 1 FREE. So get ur crew together and take advantage of this special as it only runs till this Sunday Aug 10th. Spaces are limited !!!!

The Government through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and the National AIDS/STD Control Programme (NASCOP) under the now Â¡demoted and transferredÂ¢ Director, Dr. Mohammed stand accused for misinforming the public on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country.

Other that need to provide Â¡real answersÂ¢ to Kenyans include the National AIDS Control Council (NACC), Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), National Public Health Laboratory Services (NPHLS), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development ( NCAPD), US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations (UN).

The alleged Â¡statistical errorÂ¢ that was recently provided by NASCOP indicated that in the year 2003 that rate has been 6.7% compared to 7.8% this year. The other Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey conducted in the year 2007 indicated that 7.4% of Kenyans are living with the virus.

It further stated that about 1.4 million Kenyans are living with the virus yet reliable information from government and NASCOP sources indicate that the prevalence rate now stands at 13% and those infected are about 2.5 million Kenyans. Projections indicate that by the end of the year the rate may even reach 15% due to the aftermath of the post-election related rape cases and unprotected sex during the skirmishes.

Come January 2009, the year NASCOP would be releasing a more detailed report on the HIV/AIDS prevalence that would make Kenyans understand the ethics behind such Â¡scientificÂ¢ researches.

On the Other hand pharmaceutical companies and foreign investor ought to encourage thorough research initiatives than to dwell on manufacturing anti-retroviral drugs for commercial purposes. Poor research initiatives only complicate management of diseases including HIV/AIDS.

One of our pioneer researchers of the project, Dr. Omu Anzala, helped make the initial discovery of resistance levels observed among commercial sex workers in NairobiÂ¢s Majengo, Kibera and Korogocho slums. The study suggest that when the sex workers were not exposed to the infection they turn out to be HIV+ but as they get re-exposed they turn out to be negative. Continues exposure to HIV weakens the virus as the WBCs become very active. The lower risk group who use protection than the higher risk group that that not necessarily use, come from affluent suburbs than the slums.

In the 1980, developed and developing countries negotiated the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreements that touch on research and drug manufacturing as part of the URUGUAY Round of global trade tasks. Ratifies in 1994, TRIPS set forth a minimum standard on intellectual property rights protection. Certainly most counties including Kenya were able to bring their domestic Â¡originalÂ¢ patent legislation into compliance with TRIPS after the 2005 deadline period.

With the current HIV/AIDS, as a public health crisis in the Sub-Saharan Africa region attention has to be focused and support given to Kenyan researchers by Â¡foreign institutionsÂ¢ and NGOs suspending their intentions to claim patency rights. This ethical scientific flexibility would help save the region and the world at large.

This was after the member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Community, including the United States declared in November 2001 that TRIPS permits less-developed countries, facing a genuine health-care crisis, to license compulsorily certain patented medicines, including anti-retroviral.

It is thus upon government and its affiliate stakeholders to put their acts rights for this pandemic is but a shadow of a disaster in the making.

For the Western world, is this another Â¡Foreign Kenyanesis Research ImperfectusÂ¢ coming to Kenya and Africa ?